We all are guilty of some of these Tech blunders at one time or the other, but, if you do most of these things, you should make a change. Your computer will thank you for it!
Let's face it, Tech skills have become a part of life. At most jobs, being able to use a computer is essential. When you are looking for a job, it quickly becomes apparent that most job searching happens online these days. So, unless you have been living under a rock, you have to use a computer fairly frequently.
But, if you are like most of us, the skills you have are often ones you have had to figure out by yourself. Even if you are really, really comfortable using you computer, laptop, smartphone or e-reader, there are still some Tech blunders you may be guilty of.
Here are the Top 5 Tech Blunders:
- Not using anti-virus or spyware programs – There are still people out there who think that they don't need to use software to protect their operating systems from malware, spyware and viruses, as long as they are careful about what links they click. This couldn't be further from the truth. Unless you are exclusively using Apple products, you need some protection. There are even free anti-virus programs and free anti-malware programs.
- Traveling with your laptop powered on – This one always amazes me. If you are heading off to work, school or just going to a coffee shop and plan on taking your laptop with you, please power it off first. Your laptop is pretty sturdy, but when parts are moving and the fan is running, a small jostle has the potential of breaking those very important components. Not only that, placing a hot laptop, while it is still running, into a laptop case, backpack or briefcase will cause it to overheat and could possibly melt your motherboard. Even if you put it to sleep, there is the risk that it will wake up in transit, so power it off and reboot when you need to use it later.
- Printing out everything – I have a friend who prints out almost everything. Confirmation emails, reciepts, you name it – but, if you already have a digital copy, why on earth do you need a print copy? Just copy the digital files onto an external hard drive or a thumb drive for easy storage and safety.
- Using a laptop on a bed – I will admit, I am guilty of this some of the time. Laptops are great because you can use them anywhere, but keep in mind that they were designed to be used at a desk, not on your lap or your bed. They need airflow underneath to keep fan working properly and cooling the machine. Leaving it on a soft mattress or on top of a comforter blocks the air vents and causes the computer to overheat very quickly. If you really want to use your laptop on your bed, invest in a lap desk or a cooling station.
- Installing too much junk – This one is huge. Often, my friends and family will ask me to take a look at their computers to see why they are running slow. 9 time out of 10, it is easy to see why. They have 20 different toolbars on their version of IE and many different messengers and other programs running all the time. Be careful when you install software and make sure that you uncheck any boxes that say they are going to install a new toolbar (unless, of course, you really want that toolbar). Most of them leave traces on your system that you can't get rid of through a simple uninstall. Also, don't be afraid to turn those programs off and keep them from running in your taskbar all the time.
If you are guilty of all or most of these, just stop it. No really, just stop it. If there are a couple that you have done before, try harder next time. Trust me, your computer will thank you for it, and you will have less performance problems.
What mistakes do you think should have been listed here? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for EducationJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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